Artist: James Pearson

Date of Release: 01/10/2004

Catalogue no: DDRCD001

Label: Diving Duck Records

Price: £10.50

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Track Listing

A superbly-swinging mainstream jazz piano trio featuring James Pearson, one of the most highly-regarded performers on the British scene. The album features a variety of standards and originals, all great melodies
encompassing all moods.
James Pearson and his trio is now the resident suppport act at Ronnie Scott's, London, where he can be heard 6 nights a week!

Reviews

01/10/2004 John Dankworth

"Young multi-talented musicians are not exactly a rarity today, and it takes an exceptionally gifted artiste to stand out and be noticed. James Pearson is exactly that; his masterful playing and his imaginative work as a composer and arranger combine to make him head and shoulders above most of his contemporaries. I believe he shows signs of true greatness in the making."

01/12/0004 Peter Quinn, Jazzwise

This disc announces the arrival of a new jazz label (future releases include tenor sax player Robert Fowler and Jim Mullen's group The Organ Trio) and the debut recording of the James Pearson Trio. The first thing to say about the disc is that it's a 14-track sugar-rush of auditory pleasure. And the second: what took you guys so long? Having played together as a trio since meeting at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 1994, at this rate we can expect the difficult second album sometime around 2014. Led by the preposterously talented James Pearson, the opening title track, possessing just about the sunniest disposition imaginable, crashes into the listener's consciousness like a tsunami. Taken from the 1950 Disney movie Cinderella, the glacially paced 'A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes' radiates an unfathomable melancholy and is far and away the loveliest thing on the album. The rollicking big band tune associated with The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, 'Opus 1', shows off the not inconsiderable talents of drummer Matt Skelton, as do magnificent interpretaitions of 'Guys And Dolls' and the insanely paced 'Cotton Tail'. Bassist Jeremy Brown keeps great time and contributes a number of telling solos, none more so than on the concluding 'A Tribute To Someone'. Pearson chips in with three originals of his own, the best of which, 'Wee Dram Blues', features the unlikely juxtaposition of a pounding open fifth drone with fast swing. An inspired, and inspiring, debut.

28/11/0004 Dave Gelly, The Observer

This is the kind of jazz piano album anyone can enjoy. The up tempo numbers swing joyously, the ballads are full of nice, crunchy harmonies that bring out the melody to perfection. There's a version of the old Disney tune 'A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes' guaranteed to bring a lump to your throat. Other musicians, especially singers, queue up for James Pearson's services, which is probably why he has reached the age of 34 before releasing a CD under his own name. Bassist Jeremy Brown and drummer Matthew Skelton complete the trio. I can't think of a better release with which to launch this new label.